On 15–16 January 2026, the Kircher Network’s HEST Cluster on Ecology and Environmental Challenges met in Brussels to officially relaunch and define its 2026–2028 roadmap. 

Key Highlights:

• Strategic Collaboration: Delegates from 15 institutions gathered to share best practices and strengthen academic cooperation inspired by Integral Ecology.

• Global Synergies: The meeting featured Nancy Tuchman (IAJU Task Force on Environmental and Economic Justice) and Filipe Martín, SJ (Jesuit European Social Centre), ensuring alignment between regional and global Jesuit initiatives.

• Future Roadmap: The Cluster identified four priorities: enhancing visibility, developing joint educational programs, fostering a community of practice, and planning a flagship conference linked to EU funding.

• New Governance: To ensure shared ownership, the coordinating committee will expand to reflect broader geographical representation across the network.

With renewed energy and a clear action plan, the HEST Ecology Cluster enters a new phase of impactful research and collaborative action.

The Kircher Network is a European network of Jesuit higher education institutions committed to fostering academic collaboration in response to the major social, cultural, and ecological challenges of our time, challenges that require more than a merely local Jesuit response. Within this framework, the HEST Cluster—focused on Human, Environmental, Social, and Technological questions—serves as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and joint initiatives that integrate Ignatian pedagogy with research and action. The HEST Cluster on Ecology and Environmental Challenges plays a particularly important role by advancing the Jesuit commitment to Integral Ecology, as articulated in Laudato Si’ and the 4th Universal Apostolic Preference of the Society of Jesus, and by connecting academic work with social justice, public policy, and environmental transformation at the European level.